In a surprise move that drove its stock up by 292% in early trading, Chimerix Inc. revealed plans for a U.S. NDA filing by year-end, seeking accelerated approval of dordaviprone (ONC-201) to treat recurrent H3 K27M-mutant diffuse glioma, a highly aggressive tumor with limited treatment options.
Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. raised AU$16 million (US$10.31 million) in a placement that will allow the company to start a global phase III trial with its lead product, Zilosul (injectable pentosan polysulfate/iPPS), to treat osteoarthritis.
Base Therapeutics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.’s NK-510 cell injection, a zero-off-target base-edited natural killer (NK) cell product, has received approvals to start clinical trials from both the U.S. FDA and China’s NMPA for clinical trials for advanced solid tumors.
Merus NV gained accelerated U.S. FDA approval of Bizengri (zenocutuzumab) as the first and only targeted therapy indicated for NRG1-positive pancreatic adenocarcinoma and non-small-cell lung cancer patients with advanced unresectable or metastatic disease. The approval came about seven months after the FDA accepted the BLA for filing under priority review, and two months ahead of the PDUFA goal date of Feb. 4, 2025, which had been extended by three months in November as the agency reviewed CMC information submitted in response to its request.
Seeking accelerated approval as a fallback when clinical evidence is not quite strong enough for traditional approval appears destined for the dustbins of history.
The force is with Field Medical Inc. as it celebrates the U.S. FDA’s decisions to grant breakthrough device designation (BDD) to its Fieldforce ablation system and to accept it into the agency’s Total Product Life Cycle Advisory Program pilot. Field Medical designed the Fieldforce pulsed field ablation catheter specifically to treat ventricular tachycardia. The BDD applies to its use in monomorphic scar-related VT.
After raising AU$7 million (US$4.5 million) in is initial public offering on the Australian Securities Exchange last week, Renerve Ltd. is already exploring mainland China for its portfolio of nerve repair and regeneration products.
Beijing Avistone Biotechnology Co. Ltd. has obtained IND clearance from the FDA for ANS-03, a next-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) targeting both ROS proto-oncogene 1 (ROS1) and neurotrophic tropomyosin receptor kinase (NTRK).
Elevar Therapeutics Inc. will license Relay Therapeutics Inc.’s “NDA-ready” bile duct cancer therapy, lirafugratinib (RLY-4008), through a potential $500 million deal as Elevar, an HLB Co. Ltd. subsidiary, seeks to diversify its oncology portfolio following the U.S. FDA rejection of its liver cancer drug candidate in May.